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T W HUTOHINS TRACK CONSTRUCTION FOR RA I LWAYS. v

Patexited Aug. 2, 1892.

UNITED {STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS W. HUTCI'IINS, OF \VYOMING, PENNSYLVANIA.

TRACK CONSTRUCTION FOR RAI LWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 479,808, dated August 2, 1892.

Application filed March 10, 1892. Serial No. 424,409- (NO 1110501) To all whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS W. HUTCHINS, of Wyoming, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Track Construction for Railways; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the 'letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates particularly'to the means employed in railway-track construction for supporting and holding the trackrails, and has forits object to provide astructure which shall be strong and durable and dispense entirely with the use of wood, which latter has not been found to answer the requirements in an ideal track construction, both because of its liabilit'yto. deterioration and expensiveness, the latter an evil which is bound to increase in proportion to the diminishing supply and the increasing consumption.

In carrying this invention into practice, the portion of the road-bedimmediately supporting the rails is formed by'cross pieces or ties composed of abutting sections of mineral substance (such as earthenware, terra-cot ta, stone- Ware, artificial stone, glass, or any of the numerous forms of baked clay) bound together bythrough tie-rods of metal, and in the pre ferred construction the means employed for holding the sections together also serves to retain the track-rail fastenersin place, all as will be nowdescribed, and pointed out particularly in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective of a short section of track constructed in accordance. vwith my invention with the earth or filling removed. Fig. 2 is a transverse verticalsection through one of the ties or supports and fastenin'g's. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section. Fig. l is a vertical section showing a slight modification. Fig. 5 is a detail of one of the eyebolts for holding the track-rails.

Like letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.

The ties or supports are, as before stated, composed of abuttingsections, and by referring to the drawings it will beseen that each section A is slightly wedge shape, or narrower at one end than at the other, adjacent sections being reversely placed. Passing through the 5 5 whole series is a tie-rod B, preferably iron or steel, screw-threaded at the ends for the reception of nuts I), by which thesections are held firmly in place. To further insure the clamping of the sections properly, washers 6 b are placed beneath the nuts of proper shape to compensate for the inclination of the faces ofthe section-1 a, wedge shape-and preferably of sufficient length to pass way across the sectionrand afford an extended bearing. '6 5 Lock-nuts may be employed or keys 5 may be driven through openings in the nuts, if desired,

to hold them fast. The abutting faces of the section are corrugatedor formed with channels d therein, and when the sections are assembled in position tar, asphaltum, or'equivalent cementing substance is poured in between them or thefaces are coated so as to unite in asolid homogeneous body. Each section is further formed with a central aperture D, which facilitates, greatly, the formation of the sections for the reason that it is not possible to thoroughly bake and harden vitreous substance through more than aboutfour or live inches,and in orderthattheblocksshallnotex- 8o ceed thisinanydirection this aperture ismade.

If the blocks were solid, the interior would be considerably weakened bynot being sufficient ly hardened. ready means for attaching-the track-rails to thecentral transverse tie-rod, as eyebolts may be passed in through the apertures and the tie-rod inturn passed throughthe eyebolts as the sections are assembled. As shown in Fig. 2, for instance, each section has a large 0 opening extending in from one side and two small round holes-D from the opposite side, and through the latter eyebolts E may be passed, screw-threaded at the ends for the re-- ception of nuts or plates 6, which clamp the 5 track-rail securely.

. In laying the track'care should be taken that the rails rest onithose sections in which the larger end is uppermost, as pressure upon them is distributed by the wedging action Ico throughout the whole-structure, whereby disarrangement or sinking of any section under Said apertures afford, also, a

I the weight of passing trains is prevented. It

is preferable to employ, say, five or nine sections for each tie, the rails being thus brought on the second sections from the ends, as shown in the drawings, although the number of sections is not material, as the size may be varied to suit exigencies, and if it be found that the central apertures D need to be made larger because of difficulty of manufacture they may be filled after the sections are completed, as will be readily understood. The joints between adjacent rails should come between the ties, and to distribute the strain more perfectly and at the same time hold the rails in place the fish-plates F are made long.

enough to rest on the ties and are provided with holes through which the eyebolts E pass, nuts being applied, as heretofore-pointed out, to clamp the plates firmly down on the rail.- bases.

verse tie-rod be employed as a means for securing the rails on the tie, owing to the frangibility of the latter, still it is not essential that eyebolts be employed, as other forms of fastenings are obvious, for instance, as shown rail and be bolted thereto, as fish-plates or simple fasteningplates, are provided with arms 9, passing down between the sections and having perforations for the passage of the tie-rod. This construction has some ad'- van-tages in that the central openings in the sections may be dispensed with, an undesirable construction, however, at this day, because of difficulty in manufacture not necessary to be stated here.

The material of which the section sare composed it' is obvious may be varied greatly. Preferably, however, I employ some one of the forms of baked or fired clay, as stoneware or terra-cotta, although artificial stone, glass, and other mineral substances of similar nasirable, the essential qualities being indestructibility by any of the forms of decay or animal life, heretofore found so injurious to ties of wood, coupled with sufficient strength to resist the strains and wear and tear of traffic over the road-bed.

in that it may bev composed of the most plentiful of natures products, is cheaply and easily made, and is practically indestructible in so far as weather and climate are concerned.

I claim '1. A tie or support for railway-track rails, composed of a series of abutting sections of mineral substances united by a tie-rod passing way through the same, substantially as described.

2. A tie orsupport for railway-track rails,

composed of a series of abutting sections of mineral substances united by a tie-rod pass- 1 ing through the same, the sections upon which the railsrest being wedge shape,whereby the pressure of the rails on the larger ends distributes the strain throughout the tie, substantially as described.

3. A tie or support for railway-track rails,

'j composed of a series of abutting wedge-shaped sections united by a tie-rod, adjacent sections being reversed, substantially as described.

While it is necessary that the central trans- 4. A tie or support for railway-track rails, composed of a series of abutting wed geshaped sections united by a tie-rod, adjacent sections being reversed and the abutting faces corrugated or formed with channels, substantially as described.

in Fig. 4., plates G, bent to co-operate with the i composed of a series of abutting sections united by a tie-rod with central vertical aper- 5. A tie or support for railway-track rails,

tures in said sections, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the series of abutf ting wedge-shaped sections, of the tie-rod passing through said sections, and thewashers at the endsof the rod thicker at one edge than f at the other to compensate for the inclination of the faces of the end sections, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with the series of abutting sectionsand' tie-rod passing through the same, of the track-rail fasteners passing in through the sections and connected to th eti'e- 3 rod, substantially as described. ture may be employed if convenient orde- 8. The combination, with the series of abut- J ting sections and tie-rod passing through the same, of the eyebolts through which therod passes, extending out through the top of the sections and adapted tosecure the track-rails in place, substantially as described.

THOMAS W. HUTCHINS. Witnesses:

J. FRANK Nuss, R. T. PETTIBONE. 

